Advice on buying CX5 in New Jersey with California registration

[maxim11]

I'm moving back to the US and long story short, I'm planning on picking up a CX5 in Newark, NJ area and road tripping it to California where I plan on living. I still have a California drivers license and a residence there.
Unfortunately one dealer (Wayne Mazda) is telling me that they don't mind selling me the car but they've had long delays and complications getting the license plate + title. One of the complications is the need for an inspection in California before the plate/title will be mailed to the dealer. Supposedly overall it has taken ~3months to get a license plate. I've confirmed that cars from this dealer (and possibly all from NJ) are 50-state certified and this isn't the issue. Other dealers haven't brought up this complication but it's possible that they just aren't experienced with it.

Anyone have experience with something like this and some tips? Living in Europe for the past 1.5 years I'm pretty tired of jumping through bureaucratic hoops so I'm hoping to avoid it if possible.

Thanks!

 

[paris1]

I hope you're right about 50 state certification (and things may well have changed with SkyActiv engines and all), but it wasn't too long ago that Mazda had Calif. and 49 state cars and in order to bring the latter into the former you had to have 7500 miles on it and register it as a used car.

 

[popeyecahn]

Like the border agent at Buckman Springs said to me as I were re-entering California 15 years ago from Georgia, welcome but I'd turn around and go back to where you came from! ( seriously he said that lol). What paris1 said was what I was understood, but hopefully someone will chime in with some answers to your questions, and congrats on the purchase choice and to your return!

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

I purchased my cx5 here in tx. They would only register it in CA if i was active mili (am no longer). So, I started to do it myself throug mail. Needless to say, each mail transaction took about 4-5 wks. Noone over the phone seemed to know anything about gettin an OOS car registered in CA. I sent in like 5 forms, incl 1 on special paper they mailed me. After no response for over 5 wks, I called and they had no record of anything. 4 mo wasted. I'm not doing that game again so just gonma w8 until i move back (sent from phone).

 

[GAXIBM]

I would try talking to a CA dealer and see if they would sell and register a car but let you pick it up on the east coast. Corvette has a program where you can order a car at a local dealer and go to the plant in KN and watch it being built and drive it home...

 

[maxim11]

Good advice about talking to a Cali dealer. I really didn't expect something like this to be so absurdly complex. I'll be calling the CA dmv tomorrow but it sounds like I shouldn't get my hopes up about getting any reasonable answers. And yes I have at least confirmed that the cars from the few dealers I talked to in Newark are 50-state certified. When I put down a deposit and get the VIN I'll be confirming that with Mazda customer service.